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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23884381">Hidden Words</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCatBehind/pseuds/TheCatBehind'>TheCatBehind</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Say the Right Thing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, Death, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Blood, Nightmares, Past Character Death, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Bed - I'm a simple man, mostly comfort</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:20:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23884381</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheCatBehind/pseuds/TheCatBehind</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Then move – I might not take up much space, but I still don’t want to fall off the bed.”</p><p>That made Errol chuckle a bit, “You called yourself short.”</p><p>“Honestly, fuck right off.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Errol Silva/Seth Castañeda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hidden Words</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m home.”</p><p> </p><p>It was a typical afternoon, Errol was late, not entirely by chance, but eventually he had to head back. He couldn’t let his siblings wait for too much longer.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry I’m late, there was this guy who recognis-“</p><p> </p><p>A trail of blood. Crimson patterns against the polished wood floor. It lead to the next room. Dread made his heart sink. Every step became heavy. Breath shallow. He knows what’s next. He knows what he’s about to see. He-</p><p> </p><p>“Errol,” something called to him… That’s weird. “Errol, you started crying, you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Right. Of course.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I did? Damn, that hasn’t happened in a while.” A number of tears still poured from his eyes as he started to wipe them. Pretending this is not an uncommon occurrence.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you want to talk about it?” Errol used his tears as an excuse to not look at Seth. It was worse this time. He was not okay. Vividly remembering how his family got brutally murdered in excruciating detail, with blood everywhere, getting between his fingers, on his clothes, in his hair, under his nails, over-</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” Seth snapped his fingers in front of his eyes. “You didn’t answer me – do you want to talk about it?”</p><p> </p><p>Errol finally looked up at him. Someone genuinely was worried about his feelings. Someone actually cared to be there for him after all that happened. He was not okay. Errol threw himself at Seth.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. We’re doing this again.”</p><p> </p><p>A pat on his back. A soothing motion. He could barely feel it. His sobs were thrashing his body and senses. He did feel being smooshed a little. Seth pulled him into a deep hug.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to, but whatever you need, you can ask me, alright?” His voice was tender. Not pitying. It never was. Well, not towards Errol anyway.</p><p> </p><p>They stayed embraced for a while. It may have been seconds, it could have been hours. Errol didn’t really know. Crying and trying to push out the vivid nightmare that had caused him to be this mess of a person, making it rather hard to keep track of time. It took a while before he could actually make words come out of his mouth. Seth would do whatever he could to help him along. He knew that. After a year of running, eluding, hiding, it hasn’t crossed Errol’s mind that someone would come into his life in front of whom he could be… like this. A complete and utter mess. A crying, scared and very tired mess.</p><p> </p><p>Come to think of it, Seth didn’t come into his life. It was Errol who abducted him into his own life. They talked about it and he took it like a champ, but it still makes you wonder sometimes. Especially at moments like these.</p><p> </p><p>“Errol?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hm?” His response was more of a squeak than an actual acknowledging noise. This nightmare really did a number on him, huh?</p><p> </p><p>“I’m kinda passing out, mind if I lie down?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, sure, I’m better now, so-“</p><p> </p><p>“I can stay here you know?” He was looking at him. Sympathetic, maybe. He knows how hard it is. He deals with his own demons every day as well. Errol knew that.</p><p> </p><p>“Y-You don’t have to, I’ll be fine. It’s oka-“</p><p> </p><p>“<em>’Okay’</em> and <em>‘fine’</em> are not <em>‘good’</em>, so if you don’t mind and if you think you’d feel better, I’m gonna lie down right here.” He stood up and reached for his pillow. Looking at Errol for an answer before he settled down.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks…”</p><p> </p><p>A small smile grew on Seth’s face. Clearly this wasn’t a situation where some distraction TV would be enough. Honestly he was at a loss, but then Errol went ahead and grabbed him again… He really needed this, didn’t he? Seth did too, maybe he hasn’t been accused of four accounts of murder and on the run for the past year, be he still lacked a true and honest connection with someone.</p><p> </p><p>“Then move – I might not take up much space, but I still don’t want to fall off the bed.”</p><p> </p><p>That made Errol chuckle a bit, “You called yourself short.”</p><p> </p><p>“Honestly, fuck right off.”</p><p> </p><p>His presence so close to him was already reassuring. Errol rarely was the one on the receiving end of emotional care at his house. The two little ones weren’t really equipped to do that. Plus there was always something that made it basically impossible for them to take care of him even if they wanted to. Which they did.</p><p> </p><p>As he thought that, he inhaled sharply and could feel his body tremble once more.</p><p> </p><p>This nightmare did him real dirty tonight.</p><p> </p><p>Seth pulled Errol tightly against his form, trying to comfort the lanky magician as best he can. “You’re close to getting some semblance of your life back. You’re gonna be fine, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Errol gripped at one of the arms wrapped around him. Maybe a little too forcefully. Unable to speak anything yet, but conveying his feelings nonetheless.</p><p> </p><p>Once he calmed down to a shakeless state again, Seth immediately piped up, “If you are uncomfortable with any of this, don’t hesitate to wake me up or just, I dunno, shove me off the bed.”</p><p> </p><p>“I thought you didn’t feel like falling off the bed.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well <em>falling</em> is an accident, a painful one, and getting shoved is not.”</p><p> </p><p>That made Errol giggle a little. He is an interesting man, you can definitely give Seth that. “Nah I’m fine. This is really nice, actually.” He nuzzled into the other a bit. “I could get used to this.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, but let’s try and keep nightmares that completely wreck your sanity at a minimum. Sounds good?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds great.”</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t exactly easy falling back asleep. But the rhythmic breathing and the warmth of his companion definitely eased the process. Also, Seth was louder this close than Errol had expected. Maybe this wasn’t the perfect idea after all. Taking a look at Seth’s sleeping, drooling face made it clear it was still a <em>good</em> idea. He wonders, again, how come after a whole year of this mess, someone like him became a part of his life…</p><p> </p><p>Thinking too much was useless in this state, plus Errol always got an earful every time he even alluded that maybe he doesn’t deserve being able to trust Seth, or having him help, or just enjoying himself…</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The following morning Errol woke up early. Surprisingly. He started to move to check the time, but even before he completed the motion, he decided to go back to sleep. It wasn’t worth it to check the time. He wasn’t getting up. Something else caught his attention though.</p><p> </p><p>Seth’s soul words.</p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t see them, it was still fairly dark, but the sleeve wasn’t covering them fully. Seth said he would show him after all this mess is over… but curiosity and a disbelief that his name would ever be cleared up at all, took the better of him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He leaned in.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“…ackass”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Well.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>That explains some things. Maybe he shouldn’t have looked. He probably shouldn’t have looked. He wasn’t any better than when Seth looked at the memories from the knife. It was unfair and went directly against his wishes.</p><p> </p><p>This sucked.</p><p> </p><p>Would he survive until when they could just spend time together like they have recently, but not on the run? Not pretending that he isn’t magical in a country to where he kidnapped his (possible) soulmate?</p><p> </p><p>Who knows. At this point anything is possible. Just some things seem more probable than others…</p><p> </p><p>Errol turned around and went to sleep.</p><p> </p><p>It was a rocky and restless sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed this little thing!</p><p>I was meant to be done with this a good couple months ago, but shit happens, right?</p><p>Stay well, friends</p></blockquote></div></div>
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